Loud As A Whisper (episode)
The Enterprise brings a deafmute negotiator to mediate the end of a planetary civil war. Summary The war-torn planet Solais V, desperate for peace, calls for the famous mediator Riva to hear their dispute. This man, being deaf, depends on his telepathic powers, and those of his three aides, to communicate with others. The is dispatched to bring Riva to the planet, where Counselor Troi, through her empathic senses, becomes close to him. Captain Picard, Worf, and Troi are transported down to the planet Ramatis III to pick up Riva. Prior to beaming down, Troi senses discomfort from Worf. At first Worf denies it, but Troi insists and presses the issue. When Riker and Picard turn to inquire, Worf admits to some discomfort because of Riva. Picard understands and explains to the others that Riva had played a key role in negotiating several peace treaties between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. Worf tells the away team that before Riva, there was no Klingon word for "peacemaker." After beaming down, Troi becomes a vital member in the away team because of her telepathic abilities. From their first meeting, Riva is impressed and attracted by her telepathic capabilities and, foremost, by her beauty. Riva and Troi continually meet to show their affection. Riva, in his persistent behavior, has let his emotions takeover the mission that he set out to do. Over dinner they carry on conversations through hand motions. During dinner, Picard discovers that the cease fire on Solais V has been broken and that the two factions have continued their battle. The dinner is interrupted when the two factions request his presence. Upon Picard's request, Riva approaches the bridge to conduct the peace agreement between the two factions. Beyond all skepticism, Riva successfully stops the battle between the two factions and decides to locate a meeting spot on Solais V to conduct a peace meeting. Riva's aides each represent a fundamental emotional component of his psyche, and their mode of communication has evolved over many generations. During the peace talks, an itchy trigger-finger and taut nerves lead to the accidental phaser death of Riva's whole Chorus. Riva becomes distraught and refuses to continue with the negotiations. Data, through the computer, analyzes a number of different sign languages that help him to construct an index which he later uses to decipher Riva's sign language. Riva assumes responsibility for the deaths of his translators and is not willing to continue with the peace treaty. Riva explains that he cannot use Data because Data cannot deliver emotions found in his translator's voices. Meanwhile, La Forge and Chief Medical Officer Pulaski discuss his medical case. Dr. Pulaski is apparently capable of repairing his eyes through two types of surgery: ocular implants which would give him 80% of the vision provided by his VISOR, or extensive repairs done to the optical nerves and replicated eyes which would give him normal vision but at greater risk. La Forge, overwhelmed, decides to take time to think about his decision. Troi tells Riva that she will be conducting the negotiations in his place and asks for help. Riva explains several of the important aspects of negotiating peace between warring factions. One such idea, "turn a disadvantage into an advantage," inspires Riva to come up with a solution. Riva decides that the best way to resolve the confrontation is for him to teach sign language to both factions, believing that as the factions learn to talk to him, they will also learn to talk to one another. The Enterprise leaves Riva on the planet to resolve the issue and carries on. Background information Story and production * Howie Seago, who played Riva, is in fact deaf. He petitioned the producers to create a show about deaf people, the better to dispel untrue and prejudiced myths about them. In the first draft, Riva learned to speak overnight after a mechanical translator he used to communicate with his chorus failed. Seago suggested the ending used in the finished episode. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion) * The script of this episode stated that Riva was forced to learn sign language while mediating a conflict in the Plaeties system. The beings involved in the conflict were extremely paranoid and did not allow Riva's Chorus to accompany him, so in order to communicate on his own behalf, the deaf mediator had to learn sign language. However, this information did not make it into the final cut of the episode. Nor did the fact that members of the family to which Riva belongs do not read or write (although Riva's refusal to write down what he wishes to say suggests this possibility). * Marnie Mosiman, a guest star in this episode, is married to John de Lancie, famous for his recurring role as the interdimensional menace, Q. * The scene in Picard's ready room during the teaser for this episode is one of only two instances during the entire run of the series that the holographic interface on the desk is seen in operation. It was also seen in use in . * The moment featuring Riva and his entourage selecting a beam-down site from the bridge features one of only several instances during the series' run when live video monitors were used on the bridge set of the Enterprise, as opposed to backlit graphics or a post-production burn-in. In this instance, only one such monitor was used, in the Science I console. This technique would again be used in , in the same location; after that it would not be used again until , when all five aft stations would receive video monitors. This modification would carry over into . Continuity * Dr. Pulaski raises the possibility of treating La Forge's blindness via corrective surgery, but after this episode, the idea is dropped, and is never mentioned again during the course of the series. Later, La Forge "grew" new eyes as a result of the effects of the anti-time distortion in the series finale , and eventually had his eyes replaced with ocular implants sometime prior to the events of . His eyes would indeed regenerate in because of the Baku planetary effects. They manifested the same effect as Dr. Pulaski described. Video and DVD releases * Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 16, catalogue number VHR 2469, . * UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 2.2, catalogue number VHR 4738, . * As part of the TNG Season 2 DVD collection. Links and references Starring *Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard *Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker Also starring *LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Geordi La Forge *Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf *Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi *Brent Spiner as Lieutenant Commander Data *Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher Special appearance by *Diana Muldaur as Doctor Pulaski Guest stars *Marnie Mosiman as Harmony/Wisdom *Thomas Oglesby as Scholar/Artist *Leo Damian as Passion/Warrior/Anarchy of Lust *Howie Seago as Riva Co-stars *Colm Meaney as Transporter Chief *Richard Lavin as Warrior #1 *Chip Heller as Warrior #2 *John Garrett as Lieutenant Uncredited co-stars *Dexter Clay as a security officer *Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace *Unknown actor as a Solari lieutenant References 9th century; blindness; cease fire; chicken; deaf; ear; Earth; empathic; Fendaus V; Fendaus system; gestural language; hemophilia; House of Hanover; Klingon Empire; Klingonese; laser weapons; lateral sensor array; Leyron; Lima Sierra system; M-9; Malkus IX; Malkus system; NCC-7100; ocular implant; optic nerve; optic nerve laser welding; Ramatis III; Ramatis system; replicator; sign language; Solais V; Solais system; Solari; Solari wars; VISOR; Zambrano, Battle of Log entries *Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2365 *First officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) |next= }} Category:TNG episodes cs:Loud As A Whisper de:Der stumme Vermittler es:Loud as a Whisper fr:Loud as a Whisper nl:Loud as a Whisper